One of the fastest growing areas of communications technology is related to automobile network solutions. Many new cars, especially in developed nations, now have some level of telematics service, and with the increasing number and variety of these services, demands on telematics service call centers have also grown.
Typically, a vehicle telematics unit allows communication of voice and data between the vehicle and a remote entity such as another subscriber, emergency response personnel, or a call center. With respect to the latter, a telematics service provider allows a telematics customer service representative to call a vehicle owner or telematics subscriber through the telematics unit to assist the subscriber with its telematics services. Further, a customer service representative may be notified when the subscriber is involved in vehicle accident to assess the need for safety personnel. In addition, a third party may need to locate a subscriber. For example, a relative or emergency response personnel may need to locate a subscriber with known health problems or a potentially dangerous or incapacitating medical condition.
The requester in this case may call a telematics service provider to request that they locate the subscriber. The customer service representative is able to locate the vehicle and communicate with the subscriber. However, the requester cannot communicate directly with the subscriber. In another example, the customer service representative may desire to allow safety personnel to communicate directly with a medically impaired subscriber. Again, however, this has not traditionally been possible.